Search on the site

US Championship 2015 - Round 10

Opening: C47: Four Knights: Scotch 4...exd4

Player(s): Robson, Nakamura

GM Lars Bo Hansen recaps round 10. It could have been the 'final' round, but after just a few moves it was clear that neither Nakamura nor Robson were pushing hard for a win in the game that could have decided the tournament. They played super-solid and very accurately, to reach an equal position and agree on the draw. The old lion Alexander Onischuk took advantage of the leaders' draw, and by beating young Sevian with a positional masterpiece, put himself back in the run for the title. Now Nakamura leads with 7 points, followed by Robson with 6.5 and Onischuk with 6. There are a lot of different scenarios to take in consideration. In the last round Nakamura plays Onischuk, and a win by the experienced Alexander could force Naka into the playoffs; Robson plays Gareev, the most interesting - and unpredictable - player in this US Championship. Everything can still happen, and it'll be fun to watch the last round! On a positive note, Wesley So bounced back brilliantly after the shocking forfeit in round 9: he won a nice game against Gata Kamsky, who probably tried to win a bit too hard in this game.